Kitty in the Dark Room
by TheDJcodes
Summary: Inspired by theplumlearner's fanfic. Kitty gets abducted and thrown into the Dark Room. Would Max and Chloe, along with the rest of the X-Men, locate her in time, before she ends up like the new Rachel Amber or Kate Marsh?
1. Episode 1: Set Up

**How's it going, readers? In case you haven't read the announcement chapter, this is a rewrite of "Kitty in the Dark Room" that I made last year, and my very first fanfic that I ever published in this site.**

 **I would also like to thank James Patterson, aka. theplumlearner, for coming up with** **"Two of a Kind, One of a Heart," an** **amazing crossover between my two favorite series, Life is Strange and X-Men: Evolution, and what this story is inspired by.**

* * *

"Hey Kitty. So... how about a movie before the weekend? Your choice." Lance awkwardly asked Kitty as they went to Lance's jeep after Kitty finished her classes. Kitty previously asked Lance if she could ride with him and not with the X-Men, and both parties were okay with it.

"'Your choice.' You always let me choose, Lance! How about _y_ _ou_ pick the movie this time!" Kitty protested, remembering their past movie dates.

"But you don't like most of my movie choices! Not that I mind yours!" Lance rebutted.

"Really?" Kitty raised her eyebrow.

"Well, _most_ of them."

"You're so silly sometimes, you know?" Kitty ended their brief argument as Lance started to drive Kitty back to the Institute. "Anyway. Have you even checked what movies are showing tonight?"

"I think they're still showing that new _Jurassic_ movie at 10:45. Up for it? It's the final showing before it's gone in the theaters the next day." Lance suggested the movie this time.

The girl thought for a moment. "Sure. I love Jurassic Park! Well, I just hope this one's better than the first two sequels. Let me just tell Scott first. I better hope he allows it, if everyone else might not."

"Oh right... _Summers_." Lance cringed at the mention of name. Their rivalry still hadn't faded since the fight with Apocalypse.

"Come on, Lance. Can't you get over that stupid rivalry? It's been, like, _years_ already!"

"Not until _he_ gets over it first!" Kitty scoffed.

The two drove off to drop Kitty off at the Xavier Institute.

Unbeknownst to both of them, they were being watched by a mysterious man, clad in all black clothing, who hid somewhere within the parking lot where nobody could notice him.

* * *

Back at the Xavier Institute, Kitty was getting ready in her room for her movie night with Lance. She chose to wear her red button-up shirt and her dark blue jeans. She was blasting music on her earphones as she was putting on her makeup.

"So, Kit. What are you gonna be watching with Lance?" Rogue suddenly burst into the room, breaking Kitty's concentration.

"Rogue! Can you at least _try_ to knock next time!?" Kitty groaned as she took off her earphones to talk to Rogue. "Lance and I will be watching _Jurassic World_. It's the last showing of that tonight."

"Is that the one with the guy you'd been drooling over in that Parks and Rec show?" Rogue groaned.

"Not my fault he's hot- or, _cute -_ when he's chubby! You should have seen him in 'Guardians of the Galaxy!' He's even hotter when's all ripped!"

"You have a celeb crush on him, don't you?" Rogue teasingly asked.

"Not that I want to admit to, but..." Kitty's face grew pink as she stammered answering Rogue's question.

"Figured." The goth smirked.

Kitty checked her phone, and realized that it was 10:10 PM, and the movie theater's 30 minutes away. She did not want to miss the movie.

"Crap! Lance and I are gonna be late!" Kitty finished up her hair and rushed out of the room. "Rogue. I gotta go! Bye!"

Kitty ran through the mansion, phasing through various mutants who were hanging around. She made her way outside and through the gates where Lance finally arrived.

* * *

The two mutants arrived at the movie theater before 10:45, just in time to get their tickets.

"It's late at night, and there's still cars parked here!?" Lance complained, after he parked his jeep farther away from the theater. "What would people be doing at this time!?"

"It's New York, Lance. It's bound to happen. It's 'The city that never sleeps'!" Kitty responded. "Maybe you're not active during the nighttime?"

"Yeah, right. Only Pietro gets the joy of doing anything and everything he likes to do here. The guy's always bored!" Lance recalled the countless times Pietro would leave the Brotherhood house for a "quick jog" and then return seconds later with piles of clothes, food, and what not on his hands.

"I bet he secretly enjoys sneaking in movie theaters in his spare time?" Kitty wondered.

"Used to, but Wanda got sick of it, more than we did."

They continued talking as they were close to the theater. Kitty was walking behind Lance when she suddenly felt a sharp sting on her neck.

"L-Lance...!" Kitty gasped.

"Kitty!" Lance quickly rushed to her aid. "Kitty! What's wrong!?"

"S-something's n-not..." Kitty stammered as her body slowly started to weaken and her vision started to fade. "I-I... can't... ph-phase..." Kitty then blacked out.

"KITTY!" Lance cried out, cradling her unconscious body. "Kitty. H-hold on! I'll take you back to the Institute!"

He was about to rush to the jeep, carrying Kitty, when he also felt a sharp sting on his neck just like Kitty. Then he slumped to the floor, dropping Kitty with him.

As his vision was slowly fading, he barely saw a man, dressed in all black to blend in the dark, hide near an alley that he and Kitty just passed by going to the theater.

* * *

 **And there's my rewritten first chapter for the story! Stay tuned, follow and favorite (again), to see what happens to Kitty and Lance, and how the X-Men and the Brotherhood are going to react to this news. Sorry if there's no Max and Chloe here, but don't worry. They will play important roles in the future chapters.**

 **I do not own X-Men: Evolution and/or Life Is Strange. Copyright belongs to Marvel and DONTNOD Entertainment/Square Enix, respectively.**


	2. Episode 2: Blur

_"Wha..."_

Around 4:20 AM, Kitty slowly started to wake up. Her vision was still fuzzy ever since some... thing... stung her neck on the way to the movie theatre.

 _"...what the hell...? Where am I...? Wh-what is this...?"_

Despite her vision still being blurry, she could already see what was in front of her, but not where she is yet. She realized that she was lying on a white floor, in a mysterious room, and two large lights illuminating the part she is in; her arms were bound with duct tape and she spotted someone approaching her view: the mysterious man, who attacked her and Lance hours ago, crawling towards her with a camera.

 _"Wh-who is this freak...? What the hell does he want from me...?"_

Kitty noticed that she was still wearing her dark blue jeans, and pieced together that her clothes are still intact.

"You look so... _innocent_ , you know? Just like my previous victims." The man spoke in a disturbingly soft voice as he took pictures in front of the girl. "And those silly students I used to teach back in Blackwell before that fucking storm hit the place..."

 _"What is this guy even talking about...?"_ Kitty thought to herself. She felt the camera flash constantly in front of her face.

"This angle definitely shows your sweet, innocent face. You seem to be... gifted to have that sort of face." The man continued in his calming voice.

Kitty tried to squirm, to break free, or even phase, but it did not work out.

"Kitty Pryde! Fuck you! You're ruining my shot!" The man suddenly erupted in anger in front of the girl, making her freeze in surprise.

 _"Perfectionist much...?"_ Kitty thought to herself. _"How did he even know my name...? Why can't I even use my powers...?"_

"Hold on. Let me try from this angle." The man went back to his calm face and left Kitty's peripheral vision, to move to another part of Kitty lying on the floor.

Kitty barely felt her legs, which were not bound, being moved around by the man.

"You know. You remind me so much of one of my former students at Blackwell. She had an amazing gift, her purity and her... _selfies_. God I still hate that fucking word." The man continued speaking as she took more photos of Kitty from more angles, scoffing at the word "selfies."

Kitty tried her hardest to widen her eyes as she realized who the man was talking about.

"...M-Max...?" The girl whimpered. She could hardly speak due to her dry throat.

"Yes! That's it! Max Caulfield! Oh how I missed her so much!" The man faked happiness after he heard the name in a long time.

"Guess what, Kitty. She was supposed to be my next target, after I did all of this to that friend of hers, Kate Marsh, when she got drunk at that Vortex Club party two years ago." The man recalled the events from last year. "Yes. I still remember that fateful day."

"Wh-where's...?" Ignoring the man's speech, Kitty started to panic and tried to look around for Lance.

"I said stop moving, Kitty!" The man held her down again. "Thank you!"

 _"Gee.. What a bastard!"_ Kitty muttered in her thoughts.

"Oh, and don't worry about your little... boyfriend... Lance, I believe? He's still here, passed out..." The guy pointed at the opposite side of the room, which was unlit, but Kitty could barely see Lance, indeed passed out on the other corner of the room.

 _"At least he is safe from all this crap."_ Kitty silently was relieved that Lance was not awake.

Overtime, Kitty felt the substances in her body wearing out, and she started becoming more and more conscious of what's happening around her. However, she still couldn't move her arms, or try phasing again, so she tried to freely move around again.

"SHUT UP AND STAY STILL, WOULD YOU!?" The man forcefully held her down again. "YOU ARE NOT RUINING ANY MORE OF MY SHOTS! UNDERSTAND!?"

"NO...!" Kitty had the courage to fight back.

With her consciousness growing again, she used the opportunity to kick a nearby trolley placed beside her, spilling bottles of drugs the man used to inject Lance and Kitty onto his previous photos of the two.

"FUCK! FUCK YOU, PRYDE!" The man exploded yet again. "YOU DESTROYED MY PHOTOS!"

"So what!?" Kitty snapped back.

"Don't talk to me like that, young lady! You need another dose. Hopefully, Pryde. This time, it will fucking shut you up for real." The man yelled as he prepared a syringe with the remaining bottle.

"Now... hold. Fucking. Still." The man forcefully held her down for the last time as he injected the girl with his drugs again.

The last Kitty ever felt was the man injecting her in the neck again, knocking her out for the second time. But it wasn't the last Kitty ever heard.

"And as for your friend..."

She faintly heard a click of a gun and the sound of a gunshot, along with a faint flash from the her vision.

"...Lance... n-no...!" Kitty's voice squeaked as she lost consciousness.

* * *

The morning later, Lance found himself in the Brotherhood house. He was lying down on the couch in the living room.

"Man... my head... it felt like a bizarre dream..." Lance rubbed his throbbing head as woke up.

"Hey. Look who's finally up." Wanda spoke up, sitting at a stool beside the couch. Toad, Fred, and Pietro were also in the room with Wanda.

"H-how did I get here- Aghh!" Lance also asked, before his head in pain again as he tried to sit up.

"Hey. Easy now, pal! I just patched you up!" Pietro assisted Lance when he wanted to sit down. The white-haired mutant did a somewhat... sloppy effort with patching the boy as his bandage didn't really wrap around his forehead neatly.

"We saw you at the front door all passed out and with that nasty bruise on your head a couple of hours ago. I take it was a crazy night?" Toad asked.

"I don't- W-what are you talking about...?" Lance was perplexed.

"Man, you don't remember? That movie night you told us yesterday!" Fred said.

"Oh right. Well..." Lance cleared his throat. "Kitty and I were about to go watch a movie and..." Lance realized what he was talking about. "Oh shit..."

"KITTY!" The memory of Kitty falling unconscious near the theater right before he did triggered in Lance's head. Covered in adrenaline, he ignored his headache and immediately ran out of the Brotherhood house to find Kitty. "I have to go!"

"Wait! Lance-!" The Brotherhood tried to stop the brunette boy, but he already ran out the door.

In a panic, Lance ran back to the jeep to drive back to the movie theater, where he and Kitty last were.

"Come on! Come on!" Lance said as he tried to start his jeep only for it to run out of gas. "Are you serious!? Now what!?"

Then an idea sparked in his head. "Hang on. Maybe Xavier knows where she is!"

He went through his idea of running instead to the Xavier Institute, even if it was a few miles away.

* * *

The Xavier Institute was in a panicked frenzy, after Kitty didn't return hours ago. All of the residents, including the new additions Max Caulfield and Chloe Price, started searching for the young girl within the Institute grounds.

"This is just crazy, Chloe. I can't believe this shit is happening again!" Max was with Chloe at one of the hallways of the mansion.

"Hey. Don't start with that deja vu crap, okay Max? I know what you're thinking about." The two girls stopped midway as Max started panicking.

"I just can't help it, you know? We've been here with Kitty for nearly a year and for her to just disappear one night like that? I don't want another Rachel or Kate in this life! What if-" The haunting memories of finding the truth about Kate Marsh and Rachel Amber played in Max's mind again.

"Stop that, Max! I thought you've worked with the Professor over this!" Chloe got Max back to her senses.

"Ever heard of PTSD, Chloe? Like what your step-"

"I know what that means, Max!" Chloe interrupted Max, then sighed. "I've just learned to move the fuck on."

"You have no idea how hard it is for me to do just that. Especially since I was the cause of... all that shit that happened last year. And I don't want to be reminded of that again!" The two continued walking, this time completely silent as they roamed the mansion.

* * *

Kurt, and Jean were out in the city to find Kitty there, with Kurt teleporting around and Jean telekinetically scanning the area from the rooftop of one building.

"Jean. Anything?" Kurt asked Jean.

"I don't know, Kurt. I've scanned the whole city. Somehow, something's preventing me from entering Kitty's mind! That's why I can't find her!" Jean explained.

"Great! What do we do now?"

"Hang on. Someone's coming to the Institute. It's Lance! We have to go back!" The redhead picked up someone approaching the Institute.

The two teleported back to the mansion.

* * *

Meanwhile, Scott was still in the mansion with the Professor.

"What do you mean you couldn't find them through Cerebro!?" Scott was arguing with Professor Xavier outside the Cerebro room.

"Neither Lance nor Kitty have used their powers within the past few hours, Scott." Charles explained to the young man.

"There's no way either of them could just stop using their powers like that, Prof! I mean, what if Lance-" Scott grew more and more worried.

"We have no proof it could be Lance, Scott! For all we know, they just... disappeared and chose not to use their abilities just yet."

"Or what if someone or some _thing_ just deactivated their powers somehow...?" Scott thought of something else.

* * *

The other mutants were searching for Kitty outside the mansion. Bobby, Sam, and Amara were around the gates when they heard Lance come nearby.

"Lance!" Bobby was the first to notice the boy.

"What happened to you!?" Amara noticed the bandage on his head.

"Hey!" Lance ran up to the gates, exhausted. "Is Kitty there?"

The three mutants just shook their heads.

"No. We were just looking for her." Sam spoke up.

All Lance could do was gasp in horror.

* * *

 **So. What's gonna happen next? Find out in the next chapter coming soon!**


	3. Episode 3: Focus

Kitty slowly woke up again, regaining her senses for the nth time.

 _"No...! I'm still here...?"_ Kitty fearfully thought.

She looked around and realized that she was still in the same room as before, this time she was seated at a large black chair, and her arms and legs were tightly secured by the arms and legs of the chair.

 _"I'll see if I can try phasing again..."_

With all the strength she could use, Kitty attempted to phase even one just of her limbs out of the tape, to no avail.

 _"Urgh! Why can't it work!?"_ Kitty felt frustrated in her thoughts.

Again, Kitty tried her hardest to break free from her restraints, but it was still no use.

"It's useless to escape, Pryde." The man spoke. He stayed at the unlit side of the room, while sitting near his computer desk. Kitty could see his face being illuminated by the screen.

Kitty scoffed. "Like, try me! What do you even want with me and Lance?"

The man was silent and focused on his computer, as if he refused to respond to her question. She could feel a smirk brushing his face even if the computer hid his face.

"Answer me, jerk!" Kitty demanded an answer from him, but he still ignored her.

Fed up, Kitty silently thought of a plan.

 _"I need to contact the Institute! Give them some clues on where to find me! I just hope I can reach the professor from here..."_ Kitty remembered one other thing she could do: telepathically converse with the Professor. Using whatever of her mind is currently working, she calmed her thoughts and tried to reach Professor Xavier.

* * *

Just a few minutes ago...

"Okay. Here's what I remember, alright?"

After Lance ran to the Institute and found out Kitty was still missing, that was when Jean and Kurt also came to the Institute. It took time for the two X-Men to believe his pleading that he wasn't involved in Kitty's kidnapping and was a victim like her and brought Lance inside to talk with the Professor. He was brought to the library to talk with Charles there, and inside with them were the rest of the X-Men, and Storm and Logan.

"Kitty and I were supposed to watch a movie last night, so we went to the theater. And then I just saw Kitty black out after she got stung in the neck by... something... and then the same thing happened to me." Lance began explaining.

"And then what happened?" Charles asked.

"I don't know. I couldn't see anything, but I felt like I was being driven around for a long time. Then I woke up in this room- my vision became all fuzzy, I could barely see anything, but I did vaguely see a person standing over me with a camera."

"Could you, by chance, make out any distinctive features?"

"Not quite, except maybe dark glasses? And a beard? Long hair tucked in a ponytail? I don't know! I can't remember everything!"

"What about that room you were in?"

"Again. It's hard to recall. I just remembered that I was lying on this white floor and that's it and I couldn't feel a thing. And then I woke up somewhere dark one time to feel a gun pointed my head, and then a flash... after that, I was back at the Brotherhood house with a headache. That's all." Lance rubbed his throbbing head, which was still hurting since he woke up, after he told his story.

"Just be glad it was a blank, Lance. Otherwise, you wouldn't even be here." Charles told Lance.

"Do you still think I'm lying, professor!?" Lance was doubtful that the X-Men, especially his rival Scott Summers, would fully believe his claims.

Charles scanned his mind. "No. In fact, you were being completely honest. It's just that your memories from that night, or rather early morning, are all in fragments if I just scanned it."

"Maybe you can dig deeper?" Lance suggested.

"That is my only other option." Charles approached Lance, and placed his hands on Lance's head, attempting to gather more information from last night.

A few moments had passed, and Charles finished looking through the boy's mind to find more information. Charles flinched at his discovery.

"Odd. Even looking deeper, there are still chunks of memories I can barely find. You were right about before with your memories did feeling really fuzzy. And I think I know why."

"What is it, then?" Lance asked.

"Somehow, during that time period, _something_ deactivated parts of your brain. That included the ability to produce memories and use your mutant powers." Charles hypothesized.

 _'So I was right!'_ Scott thought, recalling the theory he made earlier.

"Hey. That's why I wasn't able to find Kitty earlier!" Jean spoke up, recalling as well why she couldn't track Kitty's mind earlier for some reason.

"My guess? Somebody had used drugs on you and Kitty. That was also why I couldn't locate you through Cerebro. I'll get your blood tested by Hank-"

 _"Professor? Professor!"_ Kitty's thoughts interrupted Charles's brain.

"Kitty?" Charles was taken aback by the sudden entry. _"Kitty! Where are you!?"_

Everyone was on the edge of their seats waiting for Kitty's response, Jean relaying the information to everyone from Charles.

 _"I... I'm in this room... somewhere... It's bare... and dark... and I think it's a photography studio or something...? I don't know how long I've been here and there are no windows for me to look around for any landmarks!"_ Kitty answered.

 _"Kitty. Is anyone with you in that room!?"_

 _"Yes. There's this freak on his computer right now... I saw him a few hours ago. He was taking pictures of me and Lance and... and he shot Lance! Professor. I don't know if I can do this for long...!"_

 _"Do you remember what he looks like?"_

 _"He's... tall? Has a thick beard? Messy, brown hair? Thick black glasses? He's currently wearing a white button-up and black sweatpants... that's all I remember..."_

 _"Stay where you are, Kitty! We'll help you as soon-"_

 _"Oh shit! He's coming for me! Professor! Hurry before he-"_ Kitty's thoughts were cut off when the man Kitty just described had suddenly injected her again.

 _"Kitty! KITTY!"_ Charles tried contacting Kitty for the last time before it was cut off for good. "Kitty's hurt! We have to start the search now! Scott. I need you and the X-Men to search through surveillance records from last night. We need to figure out who our suspect is." He turned to Scott.

"On it, Professor!" Scott responded and went with the rest of the X-Men to the computer room.

"Let me catch up, Scott. I have to pick up some "special guests" first." Logan strayed from the group after he sensed two people fleeing the library.

"Lance. You stay here first. Hank will have to test your blood first for any drugs in your system before you move on." Charles stopped Lance as was about to follow the X-Men.

"But I need to help find-!" Lance groaned in pain again as his head was starting to hurt again, the adrenaline finally gone.

"...and you need to get patched up again. Your current bandages are falling off." Charles also noticed the small burn mark peering through the gaps of the bandages on Lance's forehead. He proceeded to bring the Brotherhood member to the infirmary.

* * *

 **I'm really sorry if this took long to publish this, guys. I was supposed to release this chapter way sooner, but I didn't have time during my Christmas trip, so I guess this is my "belated Christmas gift" and my way to start 2019 for you. Happy New Year!**


	4. Episode 4: Search and Rescue

Scott, Kurt, Jean, and Rogue, and Ororo ran to the computer room as instructed by Charles. Scott and Jean were the first ones to operate the computer.

"Okay. We just need to find out what happened to Lance and Kitty that night." Jean told the group.

A few searches led to surveillance footage from outside the theater, where the group watched a guy approaching the building, but hide somewhere in an alley, and then Lance and Kitty walking up to the theater be attacked by their suspect, and how they were attacked.

"So that's how they were drugged..." Kurt gasped as he saw a syringe in the suspect's hand.

Jean nodded. "I guess so. And he seems to have his face concealed. I don't think we can recognize him that easily."

The group watched on as they saw the suspect carry the two back to Lance's jeep and drive off somewhere.

"Let's see where that guy is driving in Lance's jeep." Scott said.

They watched the jeep drive by several streets through multiple surveillance cameras before they stopped at one narrow street. He parked the van at a blind spot to the cameras.

 _"What a smartass."_ Rogue muttered. "It's creepy that he knows where the camera's blind spots are in this town."

The next thing they did was get the addresses of the jeep's last known locations.

Just then, Logan came to the room with the "special guests" behind him, none other than Max and Chloe.

"'Ya know? You could've just asked to join us in the room instead of eavesdrop out there." Logan told the two girls.

"I know. I'm really sorry for being so nosy!" Max sheepishly apologized.

Chloe groaned. "Max. You've been 'sorry'-ing your ass off for the hundredth time now. He hella gets it already!" All Chloe received was a smack in the arm from Max, and a light chuckle from Logan.

Max looked around the computer room. _"Damn. Now this is what I call a high-tech lair! Chloe's stepdad would feel right at home here."_ She thoughtfully remarked.

"So. What you got?" Logan asked the X-Men

"So far, we found our suspect, and we know that he drove off somewhere on Lance's jeep - we got the addresses already - but there's no ID on him yet because he kept concealing his face." Jean told Logan the news.

" _Smartass_." Logan grumbled, having the same idea as Rogue's. "Now what?"

Everyone in the room paused to think of further ideas.

An idea sparked on Max's head "Hang on. I think I've got something." She walked to Scott, who was in front of the computer, followed by Chloe shortly after.

"I know this is crazy for you to think, but maybe you can... search through the surveillance cameras inside those buildings?" Max suggested.

Everyone in the room turned to Max like she was crazy.

"Yes. It's stupid. But can we go on?" The girl continued.

"Uhm... okay...?" Scott reluctantly insisted and searched through any surveillance footage within the last building. "Just to note, we're not stalkers, alright?"

At first, Scott found the usual surveillance footage of the most common places on the buildings where the cameras are found at that address she collected, but after digging deeper, he found one set of cameras which were odd.

"Weird. Who places surveillance cameras all around their apartment room?" Scott questioned. "And runs it 24/7?"

"Someone who's hella paranoid?" Chloe muttered.

Behind the blue-haired girl, Kurt mouthed to Rogue in confusion. _'Hella?'_

"Do you think you can rewind the footage?" Max asked. "If that is our suspect's hideout, then he definitely may have brought Lance and Kitty there."

Scott insisted, and she played through the footage to see if the man appeared, with either of the two mutant teens. She stopped when the suspect stepped in the frame at the time of 4:09 AM. From one camera facing the living room, he was spotted carrying Kitty down the hallway seen behind the couch, input a code on the wall, and bring her inside a room across the other doors. However, he still had his hood up, but the cover on his mouth was now removed and he was was carrying Kitty in the frame.

"There! His face is exposed! I can finally run an ID of him." Jean took a close up of the guy's face, and ran it through the facial recognition scanner.

A few seconds ran by and the facial recognition got a match. It led to a guy named David Wells.

The picture matched the details Lance and Kitty described of the suspect. He was 6'3, had a slender build, and had messy brown hair and beard.

Max, meanwhile, she saw someone different. Someone all too familiar to her. She froze in horror and turned pale as she realized at who the guy in the picture really was.

 _"No...! It can't fucking be...!"_ Max thought to herself.

Her heart began racing; panic started kicking in as she tried processing the information.

 _"Nice... Good... Oh, those eyes..."_ The memories of Max in the Dark Room played in her head again. _"...Your iris... That...dilation like a shutter...the pictures you're taking of me now. Too bad you pissed away your gift..."_

Her heart began racing; panic started kicking in as she processed the information.

She looked around to find everyone in the room frozen in place, Chloe being the last of the group, as they made a run towards the exit, seemingly about to go after Kitty's attacker.

She ran ahead of the group, leaving the room to curl up in a corner and panic her heart out.

Max felt time resume as soon as she heard footsteps approaching the corner, and a familiar voice after.

"Max?" It was Chloe, who spotted her through her shadow. "Max! Dude. You totally freaked us earlier when you disappeared like that!" The blue-haired girl helped her up.

"...h-how did you find me?" Max sheepishly asked.

"I was running with the crew to catch the guy when I heard you hyperventilating somewhere so I left to look for you. What's wrong, Max?'

"Chloe..." Max paused, still panicking. "That person... it's Mark Jefferson!" The brunette quivered at the mention of Jefferson's name.

"Urgh! No wonder that shithead felt so familiar!" Chloe's eyes widened as her speculations were true. "I knew something about that name tipped me off"

"How could this bastard escape!? I thought I was over this bullshit from last year! How could this come back to haunt me again!? Why would Jefferson torment like like this-" Max broke down again.

"Max! Come on! Remember when you told Kate Marsh to be strong while you saved her from jumping off that roof in Blackwell? This time, I want _you_ to be strong- no wait. The whole fucking Institute wants _you_ to be strong! I know you can be do better than this! Just... relax. It will be okay." Chloe tried to calm Max down, reminding her of what she did to save Kate at Blackwell last year. She gave Max a hug to cool her down even more.

"Hey!" Logan stepped in the conversation. "Everyone's waiting for you in the van! Still coming or not?"

"We have our own ride, Sergeant. No worries." Chloe told Logan. "What about you, Max?"

Chloe looked at her girlfriend, who reluctantly gave both her and Logan a nod in agreement.

"Let's capture this son of a bitch!" Max said in a determined voice.

"Okay then. Let's move!" The three ran back up to join the others outside the Institute.

Max, who was behind Chloe and Logan, suddenly thought of another plan, and strayed away from the two and ran back to the library.

"Max?" Max could hear Chloe looking for her. "Max. Where the fuck are you this time!?"

She positioned herself near the door and raised her hand, while covering her mouth and nose in the process to prevent any sounds from catching Logan's senses.

 ** _/*~~~REWIND~~~*/_**

She rewound back to when the X-Men were still inside the library, where Lance was explaining his story to the professor. Once Max finished rewinding, she muffled her groans of pain to not get the nearby people's attention, and she looked up to see Chloe, who had her ear pressed up against the door to eavesdrop the conversation.

 _"Chloe._ " Max tapped the blue-haired girl's shoulder.

"What!?" Chloe remarked in a not-so-soft whisper.

Max told her to keep her voice down. _"I have a plan. Just... follow me."_

"Seriously, girl. What are you-" Max placed a finger on Chloe's mouth to silence her, as she gestured her to make her way outside.

The two girls carefully tiptoed their way outside the mansion and into Chloe's car, where Max told her to drive normally and quietly until they were outside the gates.

Once they kept a distance from the Institute grounds, Chloe started driving at her usual speed.

"Okay, Max. Now that we're out of Step-douche 2.0's radar anymore, I demand an explanation. Now!" Chloe demanded, finally breaking the silence.

"Okay! Okay!" Max placed her phone on the dashboard, displaying her GPS. "Just... follow this address, alright?"

"How did you- Max. Did you rewind!?" Chloe knew what Max was up to.

"Yes, I did." Max proceeded to tell Chloe what had happened before the rewind, where she brought up Lance's story to the Professor, the X-Men searching for surveillance footage of the suspect, and the real identity of the attacker.

"Wait. Jefferson? That photography hick? I thought David busted his ass back in Arcadia prison!" Chloe was puzzled at the discovery.

"Well. He busted out, apparently."

"Weird. You usually get hella panicky at the mention of his name. How are you calm now?" Chloe noticed Max's behavior being changed

"I _was_ panicky at first when I saw his face in his ID, so panicky, in fact, that I froze time. And then you told me to be strong, just like the Institute wants me to. So I did, even if you can't fully see it."

"Wowsers. I didn't know I was that good of a pep talker." Chloe was impressed with herself.

"For once, I'm glad you are." Max joked. "One more thing, the name on his fake ID was- get this: David Wells."

"David We- Hold the fuck up. He actually used my stepdad's first name in that fucking ID? You hella serious!?"

"I guess so. I think he's out to torment us here in Bayville!"

"Other than that. How did that fucker even know we're here?" Chloe decided to change the topic. "Anyway. Max. Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't be stupid, Max. You know? Your idea to get a headstart in finding Kitty and that punk boyfriend of hers?"

"You mean Lance?"

"Whatever. You know David 2.0 and his gang are gonna be at our asses soon." Chloe referred to Logan and the X-Men. "And we'll surely be grilled by the Professor once we go back from our mission."

"Yes. I know the risks, Chloe! I just want to find Kitty first before them. With my power."

Sure enough, the X-Men were secretly trailing behind the girls. Charles, Logan, and Ororo were in the X-Van, while Scott used his own car, carrying Jean, Kurt, and Rogue. All of them wore their civilian clothing to keep a low profile.

Some time later, the two girls already reached the address that Max inputted, where Jefferson parked Lance's jeep hours ago. The address led to a street tucked away in downtown New York, with hardly any cars around the area. It was where Max remembered the last place Lance's jeep was spotted last night. The building listed had a reddish-brown brick exterior, placed between other buildings of similarly colored exteriors.

"Damn it!" Max muttered out loud as she exited Chloe's truck.

"What is it?" Chloe asked.

"At this point, Jefferson had dosed Kitty already, again, but we have no idea where he might be now, so let's be careful." Max recalled Charles' conversation with Kitty before she got cut off happening at the same time.

"You think this is the place? It looks just like every other building in this town." Chloe commented. "At least this looks a lot less conspicuous than a fucking barn."

Max and Chloe entered the reddish-brown colored apartment they believed Kitty was held hostage was in. They figured that she was on the ground floor of the building, after Max noticed the windows having a suspiciously white background behind the curtains when she saw outside.

Chloe was about to break in when she found out that the doors were already unlocked. Max quietly closed the door to prevent any suspicions.

 _"Okay. I think that was a bad sign. Red flag Number 1."_ Max thought.

Chloe observed the place, which looked like a standard-looking New York City apartment. "This place looks so hella normal. It's creeping me out!"

Max recalled the surveillance footage she uncovered at the Institute, when she watched Jefferson from the living room carry Kitty to one of the rooms at the hallway. It didn't take her long before Max found a door she believed was the room Kitty and Lance were in, before noticing a suspicious blank wall plate. Max pulled out the wall plate to reveal another digital code.

"What the hell...?" Max muttered. "Another digicode!?"

Chloe went up to Max to see what was wrong. "Just like the last Dark Room? I swear this freak's a lot worse than David!"

This time, however, the code required four digits. Fortunately, not unlike the Dark Room in Arcadia Bay, the numbers required were also faded, which were just 1 and 0. Max figured the code was the date the storm hit Arcadia Bay, October 11, or 1011. Max and Chloe quickly unlocked the door and burst inside the room.

"Kitty!" The brunette girl was the very first thing Max saw. As she feared, Kitty was still slumped over and strapped to the chair, clearly Jefferson's doing. Before Max could raise her hand to rewind, she felt a sharp sting on her neck.

"Agh...! No...!" She fell to the ground, quickly losing consciousness.

"MAX-!" Chloe was about to run to Max's aid when she felt a punch in the face, knocking her out immediately.

As her vision also started to fade, Max caught a glimpse of who was coming towards her.

"You..."

Standing right in front of her was the mastermind himself, Mark Jefferson.

* * *

 **Boom! Cliffhanger! What's gonna happen to Max and Chloe now? How will the X-Men react to this? Will the girls be saved in time? Stay tuned for the final chapter of "Kitty In The Dark Room." Please follow and favorite! :)**

 **Sorry this took long to publish, guys. I've had this chapter for a long time, but I kept being sidetracked by other things, so I haven't gotten around to working on this story. Hopefully, I will work on the final chapter for real by the next week. For now, just stay tuned.**


	5. Episode 5: Resolution

After Jefferson subdued Max and Chloe, the X-Men had arrived at the complex roughly minutes behind the two girls. They rushed to where the suspect's apartment room was. Once they entered, Kurt teleported Logan inside the apartment room to unlock the door from there, and led everyone inside.

"Over here!" Scott quickly found the door that he saw Jefferson carry Kitty in from the surveillance footage, and blasted it open.

To the X-Men's dismay, they rushed into the hidden room to find Max and Chloe, already on the floor unconscious, and Kitty still strapped to the chair, also unconscious, after the two girls' botched attempt to rescue her before them.

"Oh no..." Jean gasped in shock.

"Damn it." Logan growled under his breath. "Kurt! Take them to the van!" He ordered Kurt, who proceeded to teleport Kitty to the X-Van, followed by Max and Chloe.

Kurt saw Charles and Ororo, who were in the front seat, waiting for the others. "Professor! Storm! Could you bring them to the Institute? We'll just catch the suspect first." Kurt politely asked them, who obliged, and then agreed to drive back to the Institute.

After he watched the X-van drive off, the blue-haired mutant heard footsteps in the distance. He turned to see the suspect, Mark Jefferson, flee the scene, opposite from where the van took off.

Kurt teleported behind him and grabbed him by the arms.

"Where do you think you're going!?" He demanded as he tried to subdue Jefferson.

"Let go of me, you punk!" He broke Kurt's grasp and pulled his gun out at him.

Freaked out, Kurt teleported just before Jefferson pulled the trigger, shooting the bumper of Chloe's truck instead.

As he made another attempt to flee, the rest of the X-Men caught up to him and Jean telekinetically stopped him in his tracks.

Rogue walked up to Jefferson, still frozen in place. She took off one of her gloves and grabbed his face, absorbing his memories until he passed out.

Before Scott could cuff up the attacker, the memories from Jefferson's mind started playing in Rogue's head. Rogue saw flashes of multiple other women falling prey to his hands, images of those victims being taken in vulnerable positions, completely out of it, their innocence completely lost, and then Jefferson behind the camera with a sadistic glee on his face.

"YOU FUCKING SICKO!" The goth screamed, kicking his face in the process.

"ROGUE!" Scott and Kurt had to physically drag her away before she could kick him again.

"Rogue! Easy! What's with you!?" Kurt asked his sister concernedly.

"That guy!" Rogue pointed at the unconscious, and slightly bruised Jefferson. "Ugh! I shouldn't have gotten his memories! Now I'm gonna have nightmares for _weeks_!" She stormed off, refusing to say a word.

Jean wondered what to do next. "So. What do we now?"

"Looks like one of us already has most of the answers..." Logan glanced at Rogue, who sat at the front steps, still disturbed by the memories she absorbed. "...but doesn't want to share it yet. Let's just give her some time to cool down first, and in the meantime, pretend it was the cops that arrested him instead."

Jean proceeded to manipulate Jefferson's mind, erasing the fact that mutants took him down and did what Logan asked her: replace them with the police. Logan, meanwhile, worked with Scott to call the cops and arrest the suspect.

Just like Rogue, the redhead also saw flashes of his previous victims, including Kitty, being trapped in his makeshift dark room. She also ended up feeling shaken by her discovery.

 _"Now I know what Rogue felt."_ She mumbled to herself as she glanced at the girl, who was still sitting by the steps.

When the police arrived and did what Logan said, that was the cue for the X-Men to leave. Jean, Rogue, and Kurt again rode at Scott's car, who also towed Chloe's truck, while Logan rode his own bike that he brought to the X-Van with.

* * *

Back in the Institute, the three girls were placed in the infirmary.

Kitty was the first one to wake up, and was relieved when she could move her arms and legs again after finally being out of those restraints. She was also relieved that she could finally use her powers again, after trying to phase her hand through the hospital bed.

She also looked around to see Lance, sitting by her right side of the bed.

"Lance!" She quickly got up to give him a hug, glad that he's alive. "I really thought you were dead, Lance! I got so worried!" Tears quickly swelled up in Kitty's eyes.

"Me too." Lance returned the hug. "I'm just glad we're safe."

Kitty broke the embrace to examine Lance's bandaged head. "Oh my god! What happened to you!?"

"Well. You thought the bastard shot me dead? Don't worry. It was just a blank, for now. That was still filled with gunpowder." Lance reassured Kitty.

"How did I get here?" Kitty wondered, having missed all of the action.

"From what I heard, your X-Men caught the bastard, and your blue bud Kurt also found two other girls in the room with you. They're also from here, right?" Lance explained, unable to get the identities of the two Arcadia Bay girls earlier.

"What two girls...?" Kitty looked around the room again until she realized who Lance was talking about.

She got her answer at the curtain beside her, where the other bed was.

* * *

"Nngh..." Max grunted as she also got up from her hospital bed. "Chloe!" Just like Kitty, Max's first instinct was to hug Chloe who was already awake and was sitting right beside her bed.

"You're finally up, slowpoke." Chloe joked.

"Shut up!" Max smacked Chloe again before she saw the black patch on Chloe's eye. "Damn. What did he to you this time!?"

"Fucker punched me in the eye after he knocked you out. Dick move, wasn't it?" Chloe explained, being tempted to touch the bruised area again.

"Stop! You don't want to make it worse!" Max stopped her before she could do so.

"I just want to know how painful it is, damnit!" Chloe raised her hands up in defense. "Well, on the bright side, I'm one step closer to becoming Captain Bluebeard!"

"Right. All you need now is a pirate costume so we can start sailing the world like we wanted to do as kids." Max followed along, resulting in a giggle from both of them.

The two girls saw Kitty and Lance walk up to them.

"Kitty! I'm so glad you're okay." The brunette got out of her bed to run to Kitty and gave her another hug.

"I know. I'm glad we all are." Kitty said. "...I heard you and Chloe actually tried to rescue me?"

Max nervously scratched her head. "...Yeah. I wanted to try being an Everyday Hero, but I ended up falling flat on my face instead. I can tell Sir Logan or the professor's gonna grill me for it later."

"He's doing it out of worry, Max." Kitty half-giggled. "It's nice to break the tension. I'm just glad we don't have to deal with that freak anymore."

Max started shaking again, knowing exactly who the other girl's talking about. "...me too."

"What's wrong?" Kitty asked worriedly.

"It's... complicated. Not right now." Max dismissed her concerns.

Meanwhile, Lance tried his hand in conversation with Chloe.

"You know. You look like you could fit in with us." Lance awkwardly complimented her appearance.

"You mean your 'Brotherhood of Punks' that your girlfriend constantly talks about?' " Chloe was flattered. "Thanks... but I thought it would be nice if I was a "good" punk, especially around my partner in time. I'm Price, by the way. Chloe Price."

"Lance Alvers." He shook Chloe's hand. "And it's just called 'The Brotherhood.' And a sister, technically. So...Max is the time girl, right?"

Chloe snickered at the nickname. "Guess you can call her that. I'm pretty much the only human in this house."

Their conversations lasted well for a few minutes before Hank and Charles walked in the room.

"Well. It's nice to see our ladies are up and at it again." Hank spoke.

"Mr. McCoy. Any news?" Max asked.

"Good news. The suspect's finally captured." Hank replied. Max and Chloe sighed in relief. Kitty already knew from Lance, so she didn't react much.

"And I better hope this time, he won't see the light of day for eternity." Max wished. "Where are the others?"

"On their way here. And by the way Max, Meet me in my office later as soon as Logan arrives." Charles replied, before leaving the infirmary.

Max groaned and rolled her eyes, knowing where this was going to go.

"Oh yeah. The dreaded 'talk'. We've been there." Hank smirked, before he too left the infirmary.

The four teens stood around for a minute before Chloe decided to break the silence.

"So... are we gonna leave this place or not?"

The rest shrugged and left the infirmary.

* * *

Max decided to stay with Chloe at her room. Kitty stayed with Lance at the foyer since he's technically stuck in the Institute.

Kitty looked out the entrance to see Scott's car approaching the Institute and ran to Chloe's room.

"Guys! They're here!" The girl yelled as she phased into the blue-haired girl's room. Max and Chloe were lying on Chloe's bed a few minutes ago and jolted up when they heard Kitty's voice. They quickly ran downstairs to greet the X-Men.

The X-Men gave Kitty the usual hugs and greetings, and how they were so glad she was safe from Jefferson and all, and they did the same thing to Max and Chloe when they came as well.

While the greetings were still occurring, Max noticed Logan standing at the hallway leading to Charles's office, and eyeing her. She knew she had to meet him and the professor soon, and she could tell from his face alone that they needed her right now.

"Excuse me." Max politely strayed away from the group to meet up with Logan and head to Charles's office.

"Should I go with you?" The brunette looked back to see Chloe about to follow her.

"Sorry, Chlo. I think this conversation's gonna be between me and the professor only." She apologized before following Logan to Charles' office.

* * *

"Max. I know you wanted to do the right thing and save Kitty before us, but I just want you to know how much you and Chloe were risking your lives in doing so!" Charles lectured Max about her actions earlier that day.

The office was just comprised of Charles, who was sitting at his desk, Max at the other end, and Logan standing at a corner behind Charles. The entire situation triggered a sense of deja vu to Max, who recalled a similar event with Principal Wells in his office at Blackwell after she saved Kate Marsh from jumping off the dorm roof.

Max caught herself musing and snapped to reality. "I- I understand, Professor. I know it was a reckless thing for me to do, and I was the one who caused all this conflict. It's just that I... wanted to feel like being in a "solo" mission with just me and Chloe." She apologized.

"I see what you mean, Max. However, I need you to understand that under any circumstances, you have to be responsible for your actions. Your didn't just put yourself and Chloe's lives in danger, Max. You also put _our_ lives at risk, too! Just because you two are now a part of the Institute. I hoped you learned something from that other timeline, didn't you?" Charles referenced the timeline where Max ended up being trapped in the Dark Room and Chloe getting shot by Jefferson, both after trying to avenge Rachel Amber's death, to Max.

The girl froze. Ever since she moved into the Xavier Institute, she wanted to leave all the horrible shit with the Dark Room in her previous timelines behind. For the professor to bring up that memory to Max again in this situation was more than horrible to her.

"I... really wish you didn't say that." She cupped her hands on her face in guilt or embarrassment. "God. What was I thinking!?"

"Max. Listen. Obviously, I'm telling you this because we were genuinely worried for your safety. In fact, we know that you used your powers to sneak off and give yourself a headstart to finding Kitty. " Charles said.

"Yeah. And don't think I didn't notice you trying to getting off my radar. either." Logan followed up.

Max's eyes widened in surprise at the realization and started feeling even more guilty.

"I know how you feel, Max. We all make decisions we regret. Just let this event be a warning to you to be wise with your decisions next time. Not just about your powers, but your general safety, too. I don't to risk losing a new student in a scenario like this."

"Yes. Professor. I understand." Max nodded in agreement. "Are we finished?"

"This lecture is over, Max. You can leave now. Just remember what I told you."

"Okay. Thanks, Professor. And you too, Sir Logan." The girl got up and left the office.

* * *

Max went back to to the foyer to see Chloe sitting by herself at one of the couches.

"So. How'd it go?" Her blue-haired girlfriend asked.

"Like I was with the principal at Blackwell again." Max replied. "At least this time, the princip- I mean, the professor cares more for his students."

"Yeah. Probably the only thing I didn't like too much about Blackwell before I left that place."

"Where's everyone now?" Max wondered.

"In their rooms, I think. After everyone was done with the 'So glad you're safe' shit that they kept saying over and over, they all went upstairs and probably partied while I stayed here... waiting... for you." Max chuckled.

"And Lance... Is he-" The girl also wondered where Kitty's boyfriend was.

"Oh, I forgot. He asked my blue bro Crawler to teleport him back to his house."

"'Blue bro?' Crawler?" Max laughed at Chloe's choice of nickname.

"Come on. It's been nearly a year and do you think anyone noticed that Kurt has another long-lost sister in this house besides Rogue?"

"Not publicly, at least, Chloe. Especially in front of you."

"Yeah, right."

The two went back to Chloe's room, where they laid on her bed again, just like a few minutes ago before Kitty had barged in.

"Chloe?"

"Yes, Max?"

"Nothing. It's just that... could you even believe that this crap is happening again? In this timeline, I mean?"

"I could say the same thing. Who'd have thought that bastard did a fucking miracle and escaped Arcadia? And the remaining police didn't do anything at all to stop him?"

"And just so happens to find his way to Bayville? Where there are other potential 'gifted' victims besides me? I feel like this was fate's plan after we left Arcadia Bay after the storm."

"Whatever it is, I'm just hella glad that shit was over. Now I'm imagining how David would react after hearing this news back in Arcadia."

"You miss him and Joyce, do you?"

"Of fucking course, Max. After he told me he saved Mom from the diner before it blew up, I didn't know what to say, but obviously I was glad they made it through the storm, and are helping the townspeople rebuild it."

"When was the last time you talked to them?"

"Just last week. They promised me to keep in touch with them once in a while when they found out I moved to Bayville." Even while lying in bed, Chloe still shrugged her arms. "I bet you keep in touch with your parents, do you?"

"Let's say I don't do it as often as they asked me to." Both girls chuckled. "We're dicks, aren't we?"

"And proud of it. Just kidding." Chloe smirked.

"Again. Hard to believe this shit actually happened." Max changed the topic.

"Me too. I better hope there's a reason for it." Chloe responded.

The two then fell silent as they dozed off, once they finished processing the events that occurred over the morning.

* * *

 **And that's it. The story's pretty much complete! While I was writing this, I was wondering how to conclude the story, and I thought Max and Chloe reminiscing about the events earlier would fit properly, mostly because it reflected my overall thoughts while making the story as a whole.**

 **Now, about the line about Chloe's parents still being alive... this was pretty much where I stray away from James Patterson's/theplumlearner's original story's continuity. SPOILER ALERT: I read from somewhere in TV Tropes that what if David was the one instead of Max who saved Joyce, Warren, Frank, and the other people in the diner before it exploded? I rewatched the "Sacrifice Arcadia Bay" ending again, and the scene where the game showed the diner not suffering from any huge scorching kinda proved my point. I guess that means Arcadia Bay will still thrive in the future of this continuity, but who knows?**

 **Again, thank you very much for reading! Please favorite if you can. :) (NO EMOJI! - Chloe)**


	6. UPDATE: Announcement

**Hey readers! I thought I would drop by this story that I made last year just to make a short announcement.**

 **I know I completed this story already, but in a few days, all of the previous chapters will be removed to be replaced with updated and rewritten chapters that I will post every few days, so if you had read this story before December 16 2018, I apologize in advance if I am going to suddenly change it without any notice.**

 **In the meantime, stay tuned for a better "Kitty In The Dark Room," everyone!**

 **-TheDJcodes**


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